Ross McInnes has been co-opted to the Eutelsat board as an independent director.

He replaces Olivier Rozenfeld who has resigned his seat after almost three years as an independent director. Ross McInnes will also assume the chairmanship of the audit committee that was previously chaired by Rozenfeld.

McInnes, an Australian and French national, is deputy CEO of Safran, the aerospace, defence and security company headquartered in Paris. Prior to joining Safran, in 2009, he was vice-chairman of Macquarie Capital (Europe) based in London and Paris.

Previous executive appointments include Executive Board member, Finance and Strategy at PPR (Pinault, Printemps, Redoute), CFO of Thales and CFO of Eridania Beghin-Say. He is also a board member of Faurecia, and Générale de Santé.

Jean-Martin Folz, chairman of the board, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ross to the board. His international profile and business and financial experience, including in the aerospace sector, add new weight to our skills as we assess prospects for the continued growth of Eutelsat. I also take this opportunity to express the board’s sincere appreciation to Olivier Rozenfeld for his significant contribution to our work over the last years.”

The appointment of McInnes will be submitted for approval to the next shareholders’ meeting.